FIXATION
by I Make Questionable Choices
Summary: Despite having defeated all the villains within the territories of the Auradonian Alliance, which is now know as The United States of Auradon, danger still lurks outside it's borders. But it was no longer the princes and princess of famous stories leading the defences, they had written their stories; now, a new generation is leading the charge. And who better to command these speci
1. FOREWORD

To my dearest readers,

I would like to thank you very much for reading 'Fixation - A Descendants Novel'. As the only book I have published thus far, I am very happy to have gotten this out for your reading pleasure.

I do hope that you enjoy this book. Should you have any questions, complaints, or feedback, I implore you to comment on the chapters below. While I cannot guarantee that I will reply, especially as I publish more books and will hopefully be getting more comments on newer books, I will do my very best to answer any questions you may have.

Should anyone make fan-art based on this novel, to which I give full consent as long as credit is given, and, for which I shall be very honoured, I would love if you would share it with me.

Should you wish to read this on a different platform, I have my accounts to Wattpad, Quotev, Archive of Our Own (Ao3), Tumblr, and linked on my profile page.

Criticism is encouraged, as long as it is not derogatory or rude.

I would also like to mention that I do not own the characters of Descendants. They belong to Disney and I take no credit for anything about them. I own all rights to my original characters and ask that you do not use any of them, nor the plot which is also of my own creation, in your own stories. I have worked very hard to make this as original as possible and I hope that it shall remain that way.

Finally, I would like to thank my friends, of whom I shall not name any due to privacy reasons, as well as the blogs by 'She Who Fights And Writes' and 'Inky Duchess' both of which you can find on Tumblr, for helping me get my work to its very best.

Thank you once again for choosing to read 'Fixation - A Descendants Novel'. If you wish to support my work, leaving a comment, even a simple one, or a vote would be very helpful and much appreciated.

Kind regards and happy reading,

Questionable Choices.


	2. CHAPTER1

It was a quiet day at Auradon Prep. Many of the students were outside, studying for the upcoming finals, and relishing the feeling of the fast approaching summer. The air was warm and insects buzzed about merrily, hopping from flower to flower in their unyielding mission to find food.

It had been nearly nine months since 'The Queen of Mean' incident and most of the villain kids had settled down in Auradon, content with no longer having to fight tooth and nail for survival. Thanks to the warm welcome that they had all received, it didn't take much time for most of them to embrace Auradon's peaceful way of life. Most of them.

Harry Hook, on the other hand, was incredibly bored. He was a handsome young man, tall and well built; and his eyes seemed as though they had been made from the sky itself. Most had assumed that he would get himself a girlfriend and settle down, perhaps even join the Tourney team. But it had only taken him a week of life at Auradon – which he deemed banal, to show his true colours.

You see, Harry was, and for lack of a better word, somewhat insane. On the Isle, the never-ending struggles of everyday life kept his mind occupied; the mental and physical stimulation, in turn, kept his behavior in check – at least, according Isle standards. But here in Bore-adon, a nickname which he understood with a newfound hatred, there was next to nothing to keep him occupied. Thus, he began to play pranks on others to keep him occupied, much to his amusement and that of his fellow peers, but those had quickly escalated from funny and harmless, to nearly sadistic.

While Auradon's peacefulness had mellowed out the demeanor of his fellow islanders, Harry's explosive temper had grown ten-fold. And it had been that explosiveness, along with his boredom, that had landed him in front of King Ben and the principle, the Fairy Godmother, for the hundredth time. Despite the glares of said superiors, the bemused expression on Harry's face never wavered. It was as if he enjoyed getting in trouble – he probably did – and he relished in the attention.

The first time he had been brought in to be scolded, Ben and Fairy Godmother had very clearly expressed their disappointment, albeit, they did take into consideration the fact that he was still adjusting to his new surroundings, this time however, Ben just raised an eyebrow, exhaling softly through his nose.

It was a small gesture, quite unremarkable actually, and yet Harry snickered as if it were the funniest thing he had seen.

"Do you find this amusing, Mr. Hook?" snapped Fairy Godmother.

Harry continued to laugh.

"Harry, please -" Ben stopped short, and corrected himself, "no, actually, no please, I'm not asking you this time, I'm telling you. Listen."

"Ooh, did I hit a nerve?" Harry practically sang the words, snickering all the while.

"Mr. Hook!" Fairy Godmother snapped again, but this time, she continued despite Harrys hysterics. "Mr Hook, we have provided you with countless solutions for your boredom, and yet you proceed to ignore each of them. You have quite the nerve to laugh here; you are aware you're facing suspension?"

Interestingly enough Harry's laughter quelled, though his smirk remained.

"You think -" he snickered again, "you think those were solutions?"

Fairy Godmother and Ben exchanged a baffled look. Had they missed something? Had they unknowingly encouraged his shenanigans?

"Fer' two people so intent on makin' peace, ye' sure don't know much about us Islanders."

"What, ever do you mean?" Cried the principle, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

Harry faked a pout. "'t's no fun alone."

"Well, Mr. Hook, I must inform you that you are the only student here that is 'bored' enough to break such rules!" Fairy Godmother was near shouting at the end. "And I can assure you that even if-" Her rant was cut short by Ben.

"And if you had a partner in crime? Someone who could make the boring things bearable, fun, even?"

Harry, who had been slouched over in his chair, gazing past the two before him, sat up straight and raised an eyebrow; a signal which Ben took to continue.

"We have a new student coming in next week, I was originally going to have her room with Audrey, seeing as her last one moved out, but since you have a dorm for four, I might mover her to yours."

Ben was right, after her stunt with Maleficent's Scepter, no one wanted to room with Audrey, not that they were without reason. As for Harry, thanks to the fearsome reputation he and Uma had built up, no one was willing to room with either, save Gil. But school rules mandated that two peoples of the opposite sex were forbidden from sharing a dorm. Despite this, some of the other higher ups were apparently worried about the mischief Harry and Gil may conduct if left alone, so Ben bent the rules and let Uma room with them as she was certain to keep them in check.

"No."

Fairy Godmother 's voice snapped before either male could speak again.

"But -" Ben tried to protest.

"No!" She cried. "Just, no," she paused and composed herself before continuing. "Benjamin, Bailey, is.." Fairy Godmother trailed off as she searched for a way to describe the girl, whom Harry now knew as 'Bailey'.

"Explosive?" Offered Ben. "Mischievous, cunning, playful? From what I've heard about her from reports, she hasn't changed much. If she and Audrey roomed together, no one here would get a wink of sleep. Their room is the only one with space, and she's the only one who I can think of who would be willing to give their room a chance," he paused for a moment. "And if it doesn't work, she can room with me until sort something out."

Fairy Godmother glared at Ben who, much to Harry's surprise, glared back. The stare down continued, much to his amusement, until the fairy ducked her head angrily.

"Fine!" she relented, "I'll go make the switch," then proceeded to stalk out of the room.

Harry turned to the young king with a new found curiosity.

"So," he drawled. "Who is this 'Bailey', hmm?"

Ben regarded him with a pensive look, which quickly turned into a knowing, playful one.

"That," he said, "is for me to know, and you to find out. Thank you Harry, that will be all." With a nod of his head King Ben stood up and excused himself from the office.

Harry sat there for a moment, baffled. He hadn't foreseen the path the meeting had took; let alone that one girl, could be the topic of such heated discussion. Still pensive, but with a determined air about him, he stalked out of Ben's office. Uma would be interested in this.


	3. CHAPTER2

The sun was setting by the time Harry found Uma. She had been talking with Evie about the more boring parts of court which Harry cared little for. Harry, still not very trusting of Evie, had dragged his captain back to the dorm where he broke the news to her. When he told her, she had punched the wall, cracking the teal paint.

Despite giving the position of one of Ben's royal advisors, most of the princesses at Auradon still rubbed Uma the wrong way. They were definitely still scared of her, not that she minded, but having to deal with one whimpering behind her back would drive her insane. Not to mention the fact that she had lost a lot of respect from the villain kids initially for being so easily persuaded to join the 'good' side. She had been about to storm down to Ben's office and smack him around, when Harry interrupted her plan.

"'t's funny though," he hummed. "refused te' tell me 'who she was."

Uma stopped short though she didn't turn around.

"Said it' was fer 'im to know, 'nd me te' find out."

It was these words that earned Harry Uma's full and undivided attention.

"Did you hear anything else," she asked.,

"Mmm', 'pparently, she's got an' 'xplosive temper. 'T's why princess pinky didn' wan' te' room wit 'er," drawled Harry, leaning against the wall, a small smirk playing at his lips.

"But nothing about 'who' she is?"

Harry shook his head, "not' a word."

Uma hummed, pacing across the room and kicking back on a chair. She was obviously thinking when Gil burst into the room, an excited smile adorning his face.

"Hey Harry, Uma! You guys are never gonna believe what Ben just told me!" He had obviously heard the news. "We're –"

Uma's voice rang sharply through the room and cut him off.

"Getting a new roommate, we know!" she groaned. "Ben told Harry when he was getting lectured."

Gil turned to Harry, not the slightest bit crushed by Uma's aggressive manner.

"Cool, man! Did he tell you how it was? He didn't tell me. And Also he seemed really happy about it; like, really happy."

Gil continued to ramble on as Harry rubbed his forehead. Gil, while he was strong and loyal, was definitely not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He meant well, but at times like this, he annoyed Harry and Uma beyond belief.

Surprisingly, though, Uma looked up at Gil with a newfound interest.

"What was that?" She queried, a pensive expression resting on her face.

"What was what?" Retorted Gil, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

"You said he seemed happy about this new student. About," she glanced at Harry, "what did you say her name was again?"

"Bailey," he offered.

"Right, about Bailey."

"So?" Harry quipped. "What about 'er?"

Uma sighed. It was hard being the smartest one. She was not the most patient person and having to explain her thoughts did not go well alongside said trait. Still, she relented and explained her hypothesis.

"Look, Ben's a happy guy in general, so it makes sense that he'd be excited about a new student," she paused and glanced at the two boys to make sure they were following. "But, if he really was as happy as Gil said, then he obviously knows this person, and they were probably friends. From what you told me about him saying that who Bailey is is 'for him to know, and you to find out', suggests they were close."

Gil nodded but Harry remained apprehensive.

"I still don' see why' this is so int'restin'," he groaned.

"Because," Uma retorted as she fixed him with a glare, " if you bother to look, aside from Doug, most of Ben's friends before Mal and the others came over were the sons and daughters of royalty; kids who are set to inherit kingdoms and, thus, must learn about court archetypes."

She paused and took a breath.

"From what Ben told me, he started really young and there was a lot to learn which meant there was little time to play. So, how could he get really close to someone, if they weren't spending time in court with him."

Harry nodded, catching on to what she was implying.

"So ye' think she's got power?"

"Not just power, Harry," Uma grinned. "If I'm right about who Bailey is, then she'll also have a crap ton of influence."

"But we live in Auradon now," interjected Gil, "why do you care if she has power?"

"'e's got a point, Uma." Harry nodded, "unless ye' still wan' te overthrow Auradon, I really don' see any use fer 'er influence. No mat'er 'ow much influence she's got."

Uma sighed; "I know that. But, a lot of the court still doesn't trust me; but, if she's got power, and if she's on our side, I will have more influence, just because I don't want to rule Auradon directly, doesn't mean I don't want to pull any strings."

Harry nodded, "makes sense." He was still a bit unsure why Uma wanted that power, there was really no motivation that he could see, but he trusted Uma's judgement; after all, she had not ever given him any reason to mistrust her. She was his captain, and he, her First Mate, and he would stand by he would stand by her decision.

"So we're gonna be her friend or..?" Gil trailed off.

"Yes Gil. We're gonna be her friend." Confirmed Uma standing up from the chair and walking forward to stand in the middle of the room, winking at Harry as she went. Harry grinned back, as much as Gil was their friend, he was to naïve to keep a secret and had he known that neither Harry nor Uma planned on befriending the girl, instead, wishing to manipulate her like a puppet-master does a puppet – he would have spilled the beans for sure.


	4. CHAPTER3

Strangely enough, the next morning during breakfast, a dark SUV had pulled up in front of the school. At first, the three pirates had thought that the car had brought Bailey; but when the only person to step out of the car turned out to be a young man, probably in his early twenties, and who proceeded to unload a decent amount of luggage from the car, they became confused.

Like the rest of the students around them, the pirates immediately turned to look at Ben for an explanation. Interestingly enough, all the boy king had offered was a small shrug and a simple answer of 'new student.' Clearly, he wasn't going to let on anymore than he had already told the pirates.

The rest of the day, all throughout classes that day, murmurs could be heard speculating about who it was. Some seemed to think it was a Villain Kid who had been hesitant to join the school along with the rest. Others thought an exchange student from another school, such as Arendelle Academy. But the one thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that whoever they were, Ben knew them.

Harry, Uma, and Gil made no movements to inform the public of the extra tidbits of information they had. Uma had insisted on it. She had argued that having more knowledge kept them two steps ahead and gave them more leverage over others. Harry and Gil had agreed, though the latter was unsure of the whole meaning of Uma's words.

However, the pirates received another surprise when they returned to their dorms after classes finished. Not only had the room been tidied up, but the new students belongings were already there. The spare bed had kept the minimalist black frame, but the bedding had been changed. The sheets were a pastel purple and several fluffy throws and blankets had been artfully arranged on top. A large bean bag and a fluffy grey rug, along with more blankets and pillows, which were all shades of white, grey, or black The dressers had been replaced with smaller ones that made way for a large book shelf, which was packed so tightly with books that even Harry struggled to remove one, and a small desk with a few drawers.

Upon peeking inside the drawers, they found art supplies, leading Gil to suggest the descendant of Rapunzel, as the princess was famous for her art. Uma, however pointed out that Rapunzel was only ten years older than them, and was far too young to have a kid their age.

"She'd have to have been pregnant at ten to have a kid our age," she had said.

Funnily enough, that wasn't even the most interesting thing to happen in those coming days.

During one of Harry and Gil's gym classes, they had had to clear the field thanks to a loose horse. Now, because there were stables on campus, this wasn't awfully shocking, but no one had seen this horse before. All the school's horses were calm and docile. This one was not.

A velvety black coat rippled over enormous muscles, only broken by brilliant white markings on its legs and face. It snorted, and whinnied, and pawed at the ground. Four grooms had come running after the stallion but seemed unable to do anything until Ben, who had been alerted of the situation, had arrived.

Everyone gasped when he whistled a two note melody that sent the horse charging towards him. Everyone was sure it would run him over; instead, the wild creature had skidded to a stop inches away from the young king, who reached up and gave it an affectionate scratch. He had then taken the horse to the stable block himself, telling the grooms that it would be easier. When they asked why, he simply smiled and laughed, telling them "that's Hardy for ya."

It seemed to take forever for Wednesday to roll around; the day that Ben had announced Bailey would be arriving. Though Harry did not much care for looking nice according to Auradonian standards, he had still put a tad bit of thought into his outfit - black jeans, a white shirt, sneakers, and red bomber jacket, and he had polished his hook until it glowed in the sunlight from where it hung from his belt.

The only reason he had gone through so much, really it wasn't that much, trouble, was because of Fairy Godmothers insistent nagging as the event was being televised. Had he not been to stand beside Ben, Mal, Evie and Uma, though Uma would have had to anyways since Harry and Gil were there to introduce themselves, how he looked would probably not have mattered.

After standing there for what seemed like ages, Fairy Godmother gave the signal for the marching band to start playing. Less than a minute later, a black limo, which was escorted by a parade of armored men on motorcycles, swung 'round to stop in front of the school.

A man dressed in a professional suit hopped out the front passenger seat and made his way to the door of the limo. In a declarative, monotone voice, he began to announce the following:

"Bid welcome to the noble and fair Bailey Florian the first," at that everyone turned to look at Ben, who didn't even blink, including the marching band who stopped playing altogether. "Queen Regnant of the United States of Auradon, Duchess of Neverland, Lady of Atlantis and Wonderland, and General of the Armies."

"That's a long name," Gil whispered to Harry.

But Harry wasn't paying attention, he was focused on the girl who juts exited the limo; on Bailey Florian. It was immediately apparent that she was Ben's sister. The same hazel eyes and hair, the same fair skin and tall stature. But that was where the resemblance stopped.

Ben took after his father in his muscular figure and his mother in his kind eyes. This girl was obviously fit, but still very petite in her build. Her eyes did not radiate the same enthusiastic kindness Ben's did; she remained impassive, surveying her surroundings with poise.

Had it not been announced she was royalty, it would have been apparent from the way she dressed that she was, at the very least, filthy rich.

Unlike all the children at Auradon Prep, Bailey did not sport her family's colours. A black v-neck tank top that was pleated in the center of her chest, loose white pants with black stripes that ran down them sat high on her waist; on her feet, thick heeled tan and black sandal heels showed perfectly manicured nails that matched those on her hands; and she wore a tan trench coat like a cape, letting it rest on her shoulders. In her hand she held a thin black cord that was attached to the thick, diamond studded collar that sat around the neck of an elegant Doberman Pinshcer.

Ben stepped forwards and they gave each other a light embrace, pecking each other on each cheek.

"Benjamin." Her voice was like honey, smooth and sweet and rich.

"Bailey." Ben smiled back at her.

"Your Grace." Unlike Ben's warm greeting, Fairy Godmother's tone was edged with hostility and her gaze was stern.

Bailey greeted her back in the same even tone, though the hostility was barely concealed and she raised her head and glared down at the short woman.

Fairy Godmother gave her a tight lipped smile.

"Welcome back, it's so good to see you again," she gestured for Mal, Uma, and Evie to join her. "Your Majesty, this in Mal, Lady of Court, soon to be Queen Consort, and, of course your brother's fiancée."

Mal stuck out her hand with a smile, only for it to drop as Bailey glanced down at the friendly gesture condescendingly. She muttered a small, "okay," and stepped back, glancing down at the ground.

"Evie. One of your brothers advisors"

The daughter of the Evil Queen gave her a friendly smile and a wave.

"And Uma. In training to advise your brother."

Ursula's daughter gave her a curt nod, which Bailey returned.

Fairy Godmother then indicated the two boys to join them.

"And these are Harry and Gil," she nodded at each boy respectively. Gil gave an enthusiastic "Hi!" grinning all the while.

Harry on the other hand, gave her an obvious once over, then tilted his head back to meet her gaze; a cocky smile adorning his lips. To his surprise and delight, Bailey gave a silent huff, exhaling softly through her nose as the corner of her lip flicked up.

Fairy Godmother paid the exchange no mind and continued the introductions. "They, and Uma, will be your roommates." She looked at Bailey expectantly.

A few awkward seconds passed before Bailey, whose eyes had flicked over the people standing in front of her, sighed.

"Okay, I'm going to be honest here," she reached to her ears that were covered by her hair and pulled out two wireless earbuds; "I have absolutely no idea what you just said."

Raucous laughter filled the air as Harry threw his head back and began howling. He liked this girl already. Fairy Godmother blew steam, her face flushed and she glared at the teen.

"And I see you have no more respect then you did when I last saw you," snarled Fairy Godmother.

"Mmm, whatever you say, FG. Benjamin," she addressed her brother; "where's my room, it's been a long day."

Ben gestured to Harry, Gil and Uma, "they'll show you too your room, you guys are going to be roommates after all."

Bailey nodded.

"Lead the way."

Uma turned and began to march back into the school, swiftly followed by Gil.

Harry, ever a tease, playfully offered his arm to the young queen, "My'lady," he purred, a teasing smirk dancing on his lips.

Bailey blinked, then smiled and humored him. "My lord." With a practiced movement, she took his arm, whistled, grabbing her pet's attention, and they followed Uma and Gil into the school.


	5. CHAPTER4

Swiftly and silently, Harry dragged Bailey through the foyer, up the stairs and too their dorm. Uma and Gil had already reached it and were waiting outside.

With a sarcastic bow, Uma swept the door open. "Welcome to our humble abode, your Majesty."

"Your hospitality is much appreciated," She snarked and stepped into the room.

When Harry closed the door them Bailey's demeanor changed completely.

"Oh thank the fucking lord that shit's over," she said, plopping down on her bed where she unbuckled her shows and rubbed her sore feet.

This statement surprised the three pirates. Outside, despite her little stunt with their principle, Bailey had seemed to be everything one would expect from the Queen of Auradon; Refined, graceful, haughty, and a bit witty. But it seemed that away from public view, she was as normal a teen as the rest of them.

Still massaging her feet, Bailey looked up at them and grimaced.

"Do you know how fucking uncomfortable these shitty little torture devices are? I mean yeah, they look nice, but they have zero support for you arch."

Silence replied her. A very tense and uncomfortable silence.

"Okay, not big talkers I see," she hummed, cracked her neck, and stood up. "Well, we've already met, but I believe I should actually pay attention to who you guys are, so, lets introduce ourselves."

Harry couldn't tell whether she was being genuine or just faking the level of enthusiasm that she had laced into her tone.

"I am Bailey Florian, Queen Regnant of Auradon and a bunch of other stuff like that," she said, placing a hand on her chest and puffing it out in what Harry was sure was a false display of self-grandiose. "I am also Ben's Irish twin sister and your new roommate!"

Gil's brow furrowed and he frowned as though in deep thought; it looked like hard work.

"I thought you guys were French?"

Bailey blinked at the naïve teen. Then, without warning, a loud snort escaped her and she began to chuckle.

"Sorry. I'm sorry," she apologized between giggles, "but that is one of the best things anyone has ever said to me." More giggles. "Nah, you're right, our heritage is French, like you, but the term 'Irish twins' means to kids who were born less than twelve months apart.

Gil nodded.

"Oh. Yeah, that makes a lot more sense," he said. "'cause, y' know my dad's French and your mom and dad are French, and ' cause they'd have to know each other for my dad to try and kill your dad to be with your mom."

Uma elbowed Gil in the ribs and shot him a dirty look when he yelped. She then faced Bailey, a sheepish, annoyed look settling on her features.

"Sorry about him. He really is Gaston's son; never knows when to shut up."

Bailey waved her hand.

"It's all good. I'm not Audrey, I don't hold grudges against someone whose done me no wrong just based on their parentage. Besides we can't gain anything from trying to change the past, it's just a waist of effort."

Harry snorted.

"Suddenly wise now are ye?"

"No, just lazy."

Harry blinked. That was not the response he expected. This girl had her wits about her. Gil had now wondered off to greet the dog Bailey had brought with her. He was crouched on the ground, cooing at it when it bared it's teeth and snarled. Gil scrambled back. Bailey whistled and snapped her fingers.

"Anka! Nein!" She snapped.

The dog stopped snarling, pinned its ear and whimpered, looking incredibly downcast to have upset her master. Bailey's disciplined act soon dropped and she fell down beside her dog, coddling it.

"Oh, baby," she cooed, rubbing its ears and stroking it. "Mummy's sorry, she didn't want to snap at her baby girl, oh no she didn't."

Harry and Uma shared a glance as the Queen continued to dote upon the animal. This was the second time her attitude had completely flipped without warning.

Still stroking her dog, Bailey addressed Gil: "Sorry about her. Anka's just a puppy, still learning her manners. Aren't you baby?"

After years of surviving on the island together, Harry and Uma had mastered the art of silent communication. The argument they were having with their eyes and body language was so smooth that they may as well have been telepathic.

Though Uma may have been his captain, Harry was reckless and impulsive, and on occasions such as this one, despite Uma's suggestion otherwise, he'd go ahead and do whatever reckless activity he had planned on.

"So, if yer Ben sister, why are ye the Queen? I thought Mal was to be the Queen, eh?"

"Harry!" Uma snarled.

"Oh, no, it's quite alright," she hummed. "I'm not 'The" Queen of Auradon, I'm 'A' Queen of Auradon. The Queen Regnant." When she saw the confused looks on the boy's faces, she smiled and elaborated. "It means I'm not married to the King, but, I have the same military and political powers as him. Mal,' she scowled, "is to be the Queen Consort. She is the person who is married to the king, but she typically does not have those same powers."

"So you're a glorified advisor?" Demanded Uma.

"Pretty much."

"I have another question," Gil piped up, "why did we not know of you? And why are you coming to the school so late?"

Bailey stiffened.

When she replied she had returned to the curt tone she had used to address them all out front.

"I prefer to stay away from the public eye. I haven't been on television of in a magazine or newspaper since I was five years old." She eyed them all with a hostile glint. "As for my late return to school, I was busy. That's all you need to know."

She stood up, told her dog to stay, and stalked out of the room.

"Really, Mate?"

"Good going, Gil!"

As soon as Bailey had shut the door, both captain and first mate had turned on the tactless boy.

"What?"

Poor Gil was so confused. He had no idea what he had done wrong; in his mind, what he had said was naught but an innocent question, one aimed at getting more familiar with his new friend.

To his superiors, it was a stupid question and an indication at his lack of social skills and inability to pick up on ques.

"You're an idiot, Gil," sighed Uma, pinching the bridge of her nose. "She obviously has a problem with FG, so she probably had an issue with school, or something. Why else would a queen of Auradon have such a bad relationship with her?"

Harry rolled his eyes and turned away, when something moving outside the window. It was Bailey. Still barefoot and carefully avoiding the few students. He glanced back; Uma was still yelling at Gil. She didn't need him right now. A light smile on his faced, he pushed open the window and crept out. Ben was right, she was fun.


	6. CHAPTER5

Bailey was pissed; she knew Gil hadn't meant to upset her, but she had always been easily put off by others. People were not her strong suit. As she stalked down the carpeted halls, felling the plush fabric beneath her bare feet, she passed an open window. Stopping she considered it. The drop was but fourteen feet, not nearly the highest she had jumped from.

Stepping back, she checked the hall, no one was around. No one to get her in trouble, not that she minded. Smiling softly, she dove out the window, rolling on her shoulder to break her fall. When she rose to her feet, her clothes were speckled with dirt. Brushing it off, she surveyed her surroundings, checking to see if anyone had witnessed her reckless feat.

When she had assured herself no one had seen her, she marched off at a brisk pace sticking out of view of the few students on the Tourney field. Upon reaching the path that would lead her to the stables, she scaled a tall tree. Having grown up playing in these forests, she had been delighted when she found out the branches were sturdy enough for her to jump between. The rough bark hurt her feet, but her hands, which were calloused from years of wielding swords, felt fine against the course wood.

Grabbing onto a branch above her, she swung herself 'till she gained enough momentum to reach the next tree. She felt like a bird; soaring though the tree tops away from all life's problems. Of course, life's problems will always try and follow you.

Such was the case when she caught a flash of red on the path. A red to bright and large to be natural. Harry. He must have followed her. She stopped, perching on a branch like a gargoyle on a church.

His pace was brisk, and he was obviously confused. No doubt, he hadn't been so close as to see her access her high road.

She wondered briefly where his companions were. Obviously he wasn't following her from good in his heart; no, curiosity was the more likely culprit. The night before her arrival, Ben, through Face-Time, had told her about the roommate situation. She had to admit, the young man intrigued her too. He was like her, marched to the beat of his own drum. Perhaps she could recruit him. She dismissed the idea; now was not the time. As softly as she could, Bailey descended from the trees, slowing her pace so Harry was slightly in front of her. When they reached a section of the trail where the branches overhung the trail, she dropped behind the pirate.

"What are you doing?"

If she were to look back on that moment, Bailey would have thanked her lucky stars for the ruthless training the army had put her through. Harry, as crazy and wary as he had been on the Isle, had spun around and lunged at her, knife in hand. Fortunately for her, while Harry was strong and fast, he wasn't as handy with a knife as he was a sword. He had also been so surprised that he hadn't planned his movements as much and reacted purely on instinct, resulting in his attack being very textbook and easy to block.

After calming from his initial surprise Harry glared up at the girl who now had his arm in a tight lock against his back. When she released him, he tucked the knife back in his belt and rounded on her.

"What the fuck wer' ye thinkin'?" He yelled. "An, where the bloody hell did ye' come from?"

"Up." Came Bailey's simple answer and Harry's gaze followed her finger as she pointed to the canopy of leaves above them. "My turn, what were you doing, hmm?"

"Lookin' for ye," he huffed, "an ye' mean te' tell me tha' ye' were up there' like a," he struggled for a moment; "like a fuckin' squirrel?"

"I suppose," she hummed.

Harry furrowed his brow, most students, especially the girls of whom most were used to being treated like the princesses they were by boys, froze when he began to curse at them. Bailey didn't so much as blink. Albeit, he remembered her cursing earlier.

"Why did ye leave? I mean, I know Gil's an idiot, bu' he didn' mean no harm."

Bailey grimaced.

"Uh. It's kind of a sensitive topic for me." she scratched the back of her neck. "Also, my people skills are nothing to be admired."

"Really?" Harry blinked; "an' here I thought tha' a Queen, would be used te' people, eh?" He cocked his head and pouted mockingly. "Or are ye' the odd one out, hmm?" He didn't need her to reply. The flash of rage and guilt in her eyes told him enough. "Ye'r brother was right, ye are int'restin'."

"My brother doesn't know shit," she snarled. For once, Bailey was thankful for her heritage; she and her brother, thanks to their father, were both tall, henceforth, she was tall enough to glare directly at Harry without looking up, much. Unfortunately, he still had a few inches on her, to which she cursed her mother for being so short.

They were close. So close that she could feel his breath on her skin when he spoke. It smelt like peanut butter.

"Oh?" He smirked. "He seems te' think otherwise."

He was right about that. Ben was none the wiser about the real reason for her absence. He was under the impression he was overseeing the training of Auradon's soldiers. Unbeknownst to him, she and several other generals were suspicious of threats that lurked outside their borders.

But now was not the time to reminisce her past. Bailey pushed those memories away and glared at the teen.

"He's an idiot. You should know, I heard you kidnapped him."

"Don't remind me," he groaned. "He was the worst prisoner we ever had. Don' he know how te be quiet? All he did was run 'is trap abou' how we could get a chance if we just let 'im go."

Bailey chuckled and stepped back.

"Oh Ben. Yeah, he's always been the negotiator. Got us out of a fuck ton of trouble when we were kids. I was the 'punch first ask questions later' type."

"An' here I thought princesses didn' fight," Harry snarked.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Only if ye' want, yer' Majesty."

Bailey regarded him, perhaps he wasn't such an annoying asshole after all.


	7. CHAPTER6

Ben was not in a rush as he made his way to the room his sister was staying in. To say he was ecstatic to have her back was simplifying things. While it may not be appropriate for the King to play pranks, it was almost expected from siblings.

His passive demeanor faded when he came upon the room only to discover that his site was nowhere to be found. Nor were Harry and Uma. The only signs of life in the room were Gil and Anka, the former of whom was joyfully playing tug-of-war with the latter. He seemed to be having the time of his life.

Ben watched them for a moment before he made his presence known.

"Oh, hey man!" Gil greeted him, cheerful as ever. Ben liked that about him, despite their parent's history together, Gil never seemed to hold an ounce of resentment against Ben.

"Hey Gil, I see you've made a new friend."

"Yeah! Your sisters dog is the cutest. I don't know where she is though," he said. "She disappeared after coming inside and then Harry disappeared and now Uma is looking for Harry."

At that moment, Uma barged past him, muttering obscenities under her breath.

"Hey Uma, did you find him?" Gil was completely oblivious to Uma's oblivious to Uma's mood, still smiling as he welcomed his captain back.

"If I found him," she groaned, "I think he'd be with me."

"Hey Uma," Ben butted in. "did you see Bailey while you were looking?"

"No," she shrugged.

Ben frowned. It hadn't been unusual for Bailey to disappear at inopportune moments, but that didn't make it any less frustrating.

"What's up?" After spending so much time around the King, Uma had gotten good at reading his body language.

"I needed to talk to her about tutoring Mal," he admitted.

"I beg your pardon?"

It was Mal who had cried out in indignation. She had been looking for her fiancée and to find him talking about getting her a tutor was not how she expected to find him.

"I do not need a tutor; I've got my shit together."

Ben shook his head, holding his hands out in an attempt to calm her.

"No, no, Mal, no," he stammered, "I didn't mean like for school, I meant for like, queenly stuff."

Mal raised a brow, resting her weight on the door frame.

"And I don't mean the court stuff either, I meant the really annoying stuff; like how to use a fan."

Uma snorted.

"She had to take lessons on fans?"

"Apparently there's a secret Fan Sign Language." Ben shrugged.

"Is there one about being where you're supposed to be?" Huffed Mal.

When they had met earlier, the young Queen Regnant had not left a very good first impression on her future in-law. Mal was under the impression that Bailey was an entitled, stuck-up, bitch.

Surprisingly, Ben did not leap in to defend his sister, he merely shrugged as though used to Bailey being insulted.

"Never mind that," he waved it off, "She can't tutor you if she's not actually here." He rubbed his forehead. "And of course when you can't find Bailey," he muttered, "it means she's up to no good."

"Well we should probably find her then," said Uma.

"Yeah, but how?" Mal retorted. "I don't think this is urgent enough to use a tracking spell for."

It was true. After some convincing from Mal, Uma, and, surprisingly, Hades, Fairy God mother and the rest of the council gave into Ben's proposition to allow magic without consequence in urgent matters.

"Hey guys," Gil interjected.

"Not now, Gil," snapped Uma.

"We could check the school security cameras." Suggested Mal.

Ben shook his head. "No, she'd've avoided them."

"Guys." Gil tried again.

"We said not now, Gil!" Mal shushed the teen.

"Maybe we could, uh..?" Ben grimaced, not thinking of anything.

"Guys."

"What do you want Gil?" Yelled Uma, finally losing her patience.

"Why don't we just use Anka or Dude?" He suggested, not the slightest bit fazed by Uma's outburst. "Y'know," he added seeing their bank faces, "like we did when we had to find Ben when Audrey went nuts and turned him into a beast?"

The feeling of 'why didn't we think of that' was almost palpable.

"That's" Ben nodded, "that ideas not half bad."

Behind Ben, Uma and Mal exchanged a glance.

"I don't know about you," Uma whispered to the future queen; "but the fact that he thought of that before us terrifies me."

Mal nodded in agreement.

Ten minutes later, the four teenagers were following Gil who had Anka's leash in hand as the Doberman pulled him forward.

"What'cha doing?" Someone yelled across the Tourney field.

It had been Carlos who yelled, Jay, Lonnie, and Jane not far behind him. Both boys were clad in their tourney gear, their foreheads coated in a layer of seat that glistened in the afternoon sun.

A pang of jealousy shot through Ben. After becoming King, he had had little tie to relax between court meetings and school. So, much to his disappointment, Tourney had left his daily agenda. He payed no mind to this envy, instead greeting his friends with a warm smile.

"Hey guys, we're just hunting down my sister."

"Why?" Jay asked.

The three Auradon-born kids shared a look.

"Troublemaker."

"Like," Jay began, "by Auradon standards, or Isle standards."

"What's worse than Isle standards?" Asked Lonnie.

"I see," Jay nodded.

"So, you guys are uh..." Carlos gestured to Anka who was tugging so hard at the leash that Gil was actually working to keep the dog under control.

"Desperate measures," said Mal.

"By the way, where is Harry?" Jay glanced around suspiciously. He and the pirate still had quite a bit of unresolved tension between them.

"Oh he- doggy, no!" Gil interrupted himself a Anka threw herself forewords so hard the leash snapped. The abrupt and forceful maneuver sent the poor boy tumbling to the ground.

"Anka, Nien!" yelled Ben, "Hier! Anka, hier!" The language the boy was yelling in was unknown to any of the others around him whose cries stopped as they looked at the boy.

"Gotcha!"

As the eager canine reached the far end of the field, it was jerked to a halt buy a hand clasping firmly around her ornate collar.

"Evie, you're a lifesaver," sighed Mal as the steadily growing search party approached the navy haired princess.

"No problem." She smiled, struggling to hold onto the frantic Doberman who was now whining in frustration as she tried, and failed, to escape Evie's hold.

Ben stepped forwards, gently taking the dog's collar in his hand, relieving Evie of the furry tornado.

"Anka!" His voice cracked sharp and firm, a tone most had never heard him use. "Sitz! Bleib!" Surprisingly enough, the dog listened to the commands; albeit, not without a loud whine and a huff.

"What language is that?" Asked Jane, peering curiously at the now obedient dog.

"German," panted Ben, scratching the dog on her head. "Bailey didn't want them to get mixed up with any other commands from other dog owners, so she trained each of her dogs in a different language."

"That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work." Scoffed Jay.

"Tell her that." Ben shrugged. "Right, so, first things first, are we all coming to find Bailey."

Everyone nodded.

"Great. Next, anyone have anything we can use as a leash?"

From the back, Gil chucked forewords a length of rope. Ben, already tired of everything, did not question it, simply murmuring a 'thanks' as he tied the rope around the loop on the collar.

"Right," he said, pulling out the gloves they had previously used to get the animal to pick up the scent. "Anka" he said, letting the dog sniff the gloves, "Such."

Tail wagging, Anka approached the article and sniffed it. Her ears pricked up and she began to sniff the ground, searching for her owners sent. Once she found it she barked and threw her weight against the leash; they were off.


	8. CHAPTER7

The sound metal clashing rang out across the fields. The sharp, clear sound drowned out all others within earshot. On the wielders of the swords, muscles strained like cords of iron and sweat ran down their bodies.

Despite the hot, setting sun, the two teenagers sparred on. Though both thoroughly spent, it seemed as though neither was willing to yield.

"Ready to give up now, Queenie?" Harry panted, pressing his weight down onto his sword. Though Bailey was tall, she was lithe, and her knees began to buckle under his superior weight.

"Not on your life, Hook," she gasped back.

The young queen steeled herself, then let her knees buckle, sending Harry down towards her and rolling behind her from the momentum. Bailey kicked herself up and Harry uncurled himself from his roll, spinning on a dime just in time to dodge his opponent's sword.

Both were littered in small cuts, and if they were careless, the strength of their blows could have broken bones; but neither cared. They were both to indulged in their duel to care. Neither had fought this hard in months and the release thrilled them.

Harry readjusted his grip and swung towards Bailey's midsection. Avoiding the blade by the skin of her teeth, Bailey bent over backwards, flipping head over heels in a series of immaculate flips until she was perched on the fields fence.

Harry lost no time in pursuing her and, at the last moment, slid underneath the lowest bar and kicked the balanced queen in the back.

She grunted as she broke her fall with her shoulder, her previous advantage of height lost. She barely managed to scramble away before Harry's heavy form landed where hers had been.

They were both crazy; high off adrenaline, neither of them were thinking of the consequences of their moves should the other fail to dodge their attack.

Looking back, both admitted to their friends that it had been overly reckless and stupid. A façade they held for no more than thirty seconds before they would almost die laughing.

But that was in the future; in the present, Anka had faithfully lead her masters brother and his companions to her owner's location.

And in the present almost all of them shat themselves.

It was safe to say they were all, as Bailey would have put it, 'bamboozelized'.

Despite the multiple incidents that began when the children of the Isle began to move to Auradon, none of them had ever been directly exposed to such viciousness.

They all knew Harry had an explosive temper and was easily pissed off, and most assumed Bailey was similar, at least, from what they were told. Alongside the level of ferocity that each put into their deadly dance, they assumed that each was actually trying to anialahte the other.

"Stop!"

"Harry!"

"Oh my god!"

"Bailey!"

"Guys! Stop!"

Who said what was lost in the commotion as the group surged forward like a swarm of bees.

Their minds so focused on parrying the other with both sword and word, neither noticed their friends until they were upon them. Literally.

Bailey and Harry were both tackled to the ground, their swords thrown from their grasp.

"What the fuck?"

"Get off you bloody assholes!"

Kicking her attackers off her, Bailey retrieved her sword and Harry's before extending a hand to the boy she had been sparring, pulling him to his feet.

Once he was on his feet and had his sword safely stowed away, he rounded on the mass of people, Bailey matching, if not surpassing his glare.

"What the fuck are you idiots doing?" He snarled.

"Harry," Uma began, "just because you have an argument with someone, that doesn't mean that you can just try and kill them!"

"What?" Neither Harry nor Bailey had a clue as to what she meant.

"What she means," tried Evie, "is that there are much better ways to resolve arguments instead of sword fighting, especially so recklessly, to settle your differences."

"Wait," Bailey sheathed her swords and held up her hands as though slowing someone down, "backup, on what planet did you guys get the idea that we were trying to kill each other?"

"Well," stuttered Ben, "we thought-"

"Obviously you didn't." Muttered Harry.

"But you guys looked like you trying to kill each other," said Lonnie, hands on her hips.

"Yeah, because we're training for a real fight." Snapped Bailey, "I work with the army Ben, for fucks sake. This prick offered to spar me."

"Offered?" was Harry's outraged cry? "Darling I insulted you into fighting me and you know it." The grin on his face was a shit-eating one, absolutely begging for attention.

Wiping her forehead with the back of her arm Bailey scoffed. "Insulted, as if. Not even a prissy, lily-livered, yellow-bellied, twat would be insulted by that."

"Ye' wound me, Darling." Harry pouted, and hand on his heart.

"Excuse me!" Snapped Mal, her patience running out. ":But did we miss something? This is a serious matter, weapons are not allowed on campus."

Bailey bared her teeth. "Then I'll just make my leave then, shall I?"

Nose in the air, Bailey stalked off into the forest towards the school, pausing only to yell: "Anka, hier!"

Ben was lucky enough to let go of the rope before it could be wrenched through his hands.

The remaining teenagers watched her go before Harry broke the silence.

"Well good fucking job." He frowned at them, scoffed, and followed the retreating Queen into the woods.

The baffled students stared after him as he to disappeared into the trees.

"I think," Gil said slowly, all eyes turning to him, "we fucked up."

"Gil!"


	9. CHAPTER8

Bailey was livid. She loved her brother, he was one of three people in Auradon that she could tolerate – but he still managed to annoy her beyond belief. Though her method of relaxing may have been somewhat unconventional, her brother was aware that she thoroughly enjoyed a good spar; yet there he and his friends went, fucking it up.

When her brother had met her at The Wall and requested her return to the capital city, she had laughed in his face. Her father had sent her to the army boarding school for a reason, and on top having made several good friends there, the idea of her entering the fancy school her brother attended seemed ludicrous. Yet, for all his flaws, Bailey could not deny that her brother could be stubborn; and annoying. It had taken an entire week of his persistent nagging for her to yield to his wishes. And by yield she had shouted her defeat in his face and thrown him out of the castle she resided in.

Now, you must understand that Ben was fully aware of what Bailey thought of his idea; and he had been so before she had almost passed out laughing at him when he first proposed it; but he was not without reason behind his laughable request. Not only did he miss his sister deeply, but he was tired of palpable tension that filled the air whenever he brought her up around his parents.

You see, when the siblings were younger, their father took them with him to see a military parade. After the spectacle, Bailey had become enthralled with the nature of the army. She began to read hundreds upon thousands of books on it and had begged her parents to let her join. Unfortunately, despite the heroism of figures such as Mulan and Merida, the idea of a girl, much less a princess, in the army was hardly accepted in Auradon. But luckily for the young princess, they didn't have an enormous library in the castle for no reason; and people didn't exaggerate when they said the she was as intelligent as their mother. And so the cogs and wheels in Bailey's brain began to turn, and consequently, formed a rather mischievous plot.

Bailey began to rebel against her parents, the staff, and her tutors. No longer was she the sweet little princess that charmed everyone in the castle; instead, Bailey became a tornado. She would run around the castle in her undergarments, talk back to everyone, and, to their parents horror, attempt to spar the castle guards.

It had been after a particularly devious incident at a gala involving pies and hidden catapults that King Adam, who was known for his short temper, had finally snapped. He was tired of lecturing his daughter and had told her that if she wanted to join the army so badly, she could start then. Queen Belle had pleaded her husband otherwise, but he had been firm and his reasoning was not without logic. As he explained to the tearful queen, he was certain that if Bailey spent a year at the school where the children of army members were trained alongside their education, she would realize the foolishness of her dream and come home the next year. And so, after a tearful goodbye, the little girl had journeyed to the northern most reaches of Auradon for her first day of Kindergarten.

Unfortunately for the King and Queen, they did not realize the extent of the research their daughter had done. Despite being devastated at no longer being with her family, she was overjoyed to attend the school. Despite its lack of a name, 'The school' as it was called in books, had come up several times during her long hours in the castle library and she was prepared for the harshness of the curriculum. When the year was over, she had absolutely refused to return, even running away several times when her parents attempted to get her to come home, until at last, they relented. Their daughter was happy despite not seeing her family more than three times a year, and had made several friends.

Now back in Auradon, with more than a thousand miles between her and said friends, Bailey missed them more than ever. She would not be returning to them until the end of the next school year, and though it had only been a day, Bailey felt as though she had not seen them in decades. Consequently, the first thing she did when she had stormed back into her dorm, after having changed into a more comfortable outfit, was whip out her computer and Facetime her friends.

When she saw the familiar mop of white hair that belonged to her best friend, Elwin, she almost cried.

"Yello!" He cried, grinning from ear to ear.

Some may have found it strange that the son of Queen Elsa attended a military school, but Bailey was thankful that he did.

"Hey, Elwin." She smiled softly.

"How is Whore-adon?" he cried, the crude nickname making the young queen giggle.

"Oh my god," she sighed, yet she was still smiling. "You're an idiot you know that?"

"I beg to differ!"

Rolling her eyes, Bailey grace her companion with an answer: "Well, it's not great, but it's not horrible either."

Elwin's eyes widened.. "Not horrible," he cried in mock astonishment. "What gods did we please to grant our fair queen the blessing of a not horrible Horror-don?"

Bailey was about to answer when she heard a door open on Elwin's side of the screen. She felt the tears return to her eyes when she heard who it was.

"Who are you talking to?" The voice was smooth and melodic, and unmistakably Adrian's.

What she already knew to be true was confirmed when Adrian lent down to peck his boyfriend on the cheek, his bright red hair filling the screen.

"Why," Elwin's comical voice remained intact. "'T'is only the fair maiden to whom we bid farewell upon the last setting of the sun!"

"Bailey!" Adrien smiled, delight filling up his light blue eyes.

"Hey Adrian." She grinned as the tanned boy prodded his much paler boyfriend in the ribs until there was enough space on the bed for the two of them to chat comfortably with the brunette. "How are you?"

"Not too bad, but we definitely miss you, school is such a drag without you."

"You touch my heart," laughed Bailey.

"Yo, Adrian," quipped Elwin. "Where are the others."

"Probably showering like sensible people do after hard exercise, instead of letting the odors fester." Retorted the redhead, scrunching up his nose at Elwin.

Bailey mumbled a faint "ew."

"Dammit," cursed Elwin, entirely used to the others quips about his personal hygiene. Bailey, in fact, insisted it was his version of a rebellious phase. Elwin, in turn, insisted it was not a phase and that that was who he was. "We all wanted a tour of Hell. Is Hades there?"

"No, but his daughter is," Bailey retorted.

The three friend continued to bicker back and forth, not even stopping when Harry stormed into the room on Baileys side. Instead, they merely switched from English to French without skipping a beat.

"A qui parles-tu?" (Who are you talking to?) Yelled someone from the boys side. "Merde! Au nom de dieu nous devons nous lever a trois heure!" (Fuck! We have to get up at three in the morning for gods sake!)

"Ferme ta gueule, Edem! Nous parlons avec Bailey!" (Shut your mouth, Edem! We're talking to Bailey!) Snapped Elwin, turning his head to face the boy who just entered. Edem, who was Esmerelda's son, was often referred to by the group of friends as the mom friend, and it was no surprise that he was the one to interrupt them. When his friend was brought up, however, Edem stuck his head out into the hall and yelled out the name of another boy.

"Arild, vien ici, maitenant!" (Arild, get in here right now!)

Not thirty seconds later another redhead, though his hair was not as vibrant as Adrian's dashed into the room, tripping over his own feet.

"Qu'est-que c'est?" (What's up?) He yawned, peering bleerely at Edem.

Next to the tall, muscular Gypsy boy, Arild looked almost pathetic; those who would have been surprised at Elwin's attendance, not to mention Adrian's as both were the son's of kings and queens, would have been shocked at Arild's attendance. He was small and skinny, with big green eyes and a freckled face. But his looks were deceiving; Arild was fast and ruthless in a fight, not to mention crazy flexible.

The sleep disappeared from Arild's eyes when, from across the room, Adrian announced that they were on call with Bailey. He flounced across the room and jumped onto the two boys already in front of the computer. Edem's movements were slower, but that didn't stop a massive smile appearing on his face as he stuck his head into view of the camera and saw Bailey.

"Bailey!" He smiled.

"Bonjour les gars, comment ca-va?" (Hey guys, how's it going.) She smiled back.

"Eh, ca-va. Tu nous manques," (Eh, it's alright. We miss you.) shrugged Arild. "Quand est-ce-que tu va retourner? (When are you coming back?)

Bailey chuckled softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "Arild, j'avais arrive seulment ce matin, et tu sais que je reste ici pour l'ecole l'annee prochain." (Arild, I only got here this morning, and you know I'm staying here for school next year.)

Arild pouted.

Across the room, still sulking on his bed, Harry watched Bailey interact with her friends. He understood little of what they were saying, but he didn't have to too know that Bailey was very happy taking to these people. The aura she gave off was very relaxed, and he couldn't help but be drawn to it. It were as if she herself were a drug; teasing him with her content state of mind as she lured him in.

He didn't believe in love at first sight, despite many in Auradon insisting it were true he remained stubborn; yet his father had told him about mermaids. Creatures of alluring beauty who possessed enchanting voices that claimed the lives of sailors whom they lured in with their addictive songs. Some of his fathers men had insisted they fell in love with those sirens; his father told him otherwise. He had said that no love could ever occur between a man and a siren, merely fixation stemming from the lust of man. Harry was certain that if his father were here, he would have confirmed Harrys suspicions that Bailey was but a siren masquerading as a human.

Her laugh snapped him out of his stupor – he hadn't even realized he was staring. Her laugh was different than any he had heard. On the Isle, they were all cruel, tainted with malice and mockery at the suffering of others. In Auradon, very few seemed genuine, especially those of the girls, those were always tiny, dainty giggles. No, Baileys was genuine and full of joy. She did not seem to care how she sounded, it was far from melodic, she was laughing because she could, howling even.

Eyes screwed up, mouth wide, wheezing as she tried for air; no longer did she seem like the elegant mer-creatures that lurked beneath the dancing surface of the ocean. Instead the beauty she carried was one that grew from uniqueness and confidence and acceptance of oneself. Harry found it infatuating, so addicting that he himself could not help but let out a breathy chuckle. One that did not go unnoticed.

Through her subsiding laughter, Bailey stole a glance at Harry and beckoned him over. He hesitated. Picking up on his uncertainty, the queen scooched over on her bed and patted the space beside her.

"Come on," she said.

Still slightly cautious Harry approached and sat on the bed, keeping as much space between them as possible while remaining within view of the camera.

"Harry," she said sparing him a side glance, "these are my friends: we've got Edem, the crazy tall, buff one, the overexcited jellybean is Arild," both boys smiled at him and Arild waved; "Adrian, who doesn't let us have any fun, and Elwin, the one with far too many piercings."

"Fuck you!" yelled Elwin, flipping her the bird.

Bailey returned the crude gesture without hesitation.

"Guys, this is Harry. I don't know anything about him except that he can fight."

"I thought there was a rule against weapons on campus?" Said Adrian, raising a stern eyebrow at Bailey.

"Shh," Bailey soothed him. "That's not important right now."

"You're the Queen though," Arild mused. "Shouldn't you be enforcing the rules, or are you still in your emo rebel phase."

Harry snorted, jumping into the conversation. "It's not a phase," he insisted as he looped an arm over Baileys shoulder, scooting closer. "It's who she is."

Broken laughter exploded from the computers speakers. After a moment of mock offence, Bailey joined in.

Despite being several dorms down, the others who had arrived back at the school shortly after Harry and taken up residence in Ben's dorm, it being the largest; could hear the whoops of laughter that bounced own the halls. Leaning his head on Mals shoulder, Ben smiled to himself; they were good for each other.


	10. CHAPTER9

Bailey had a love hate relationship with Friday. On the plus side, it meant that she didn't have to get up before the sun did the next day. On the down side, they would often get less than four hours of sleep the night before. She was so used to getting up early, that she nearly died when she woke up to an empty dorm with sun shining through the window.

Panicked, she scrambled to get out of bed. In her haste, the blankets tangled around her feet and she fell flat on her face.

"Fuck!" she swore loudly.

Ever loyal to her mistress, Anka bounded over and began to lick her face excitedly.

As she rubbed her head with one hand, the other fending off the excited canine, she took a moment to take in her surroundings and relaxed somewhat. She was at Auradon Prep now. Her brother had been generous and had convinced Fairy Godmother to let her have the day off. It wasn't as if she were taking the same exams as the others were.

With less rush than before, she untangled herself from the web of blankets and made her way to the attached bathroom. Grabbing a random hair tie from the counter she bundled her hair up and away from her face so she could wash her face without getting her hair wet. After patting it dry she padded back into the main room, stretching her arms out and arching her back as she went.

As she made her way to her dresser, she considered what she should do that day. Indeed, Hardy would need a workout, and she would need to get her class schedule and prepare supplies. She weighed the options against one another, before deciding to get her horse exercised first.

Anka, it seemed had other plans. She yipped quietly, prancing over to bailey with her food dish between her teeth. Bailey rolled her eyes, but let loose a small chuckle. She began to coo at her companion, as she grabbed the dog food out of one of the drawers.

"Oh silly me," she hummed, "did I not feed you the second I woke up?" Anka wined in response as Bailey gently pulled the food dish from between her teeth. "Oh how terrible of me," she scooped the kibble into the bowl. "How will I ever make up for it." She chuckled, setting the food down by the water dish. And giving her pet an affectionate pat.

Her outfit was simple, a white polo tucked into beige breeches accompanied by a plain brown belt. She undid her hair, brushed it out, and tied it in a low ponytail as she made her way over to her closet. Her riding boots and helmet were already in a locker at the school stables so she needed but to grab a pair of runners and slip them on. She didn't bother to untie the laces. Her mother had told her from a very young age that she would damage her shoes if she did that but she still couldn't be bothered.

She didn't opt for a full face of makeup that day; merely some tinted lip balm and a swipe of mascara on each eye. Finally, before heading out she covered her exposed skin in sunscreen. She would never forget the time she ignored her mothers warnings as a child and had ended up looking like a scaly lobster.

Grabbing Anka's leash and collar, she clicked it around her pet's neck and gave a small whistle. Eagerly, Anka darted forwards, almost yanking her out the door.

It didn't take them long to get to the stables, and, luckily for her, it was a beautiful day. She greeted Harbor Side with a smile and the core of an apple she had eaten as part of her breakfast. Normally, she would have preferred something a bit more filling, but there had only been so much grab and go food in the cafeteria so she couldn't afford to be picky.

Before she retrieved him from his stall, she grabbed his tack and switched her runners out for her boots. She frowned as she took in the scuff marks on their sides; she would have to polish them soon. She tied Anka up outside the stall, making sure she had access to water.\ As she opened the stall door, she grabbed the brown leather halter and called her horse to her. She smiled as he came up to her, no doubt hoping for more treats. When she didn't offer him any, instead throwing her lead rope over his neck, he looked incredibly offended.

"Don't give me that look," she scolded him. "You're already far to fat." Now this was far from true, and she would surely give him more later, but she teased him nonetheless. She groomed him with practiced movements, making sure his coat would gleam in the sun, and dabbed a bit of sunscreen on the pink skin on his nose. The tack she chose that day was nothing to special: brown jumping saddle, grackle bridle, white saddle pad, leather girth, and black open front boots. Simple, yet classy and functional.

Before she headed out, she grabbed her helmet and told Anka to stay. She wasn't fond of leaving her unsupervised, but having her in the barn in the shade was better than having her outside in the hot sun. Besides, there were stable hands around; and she was fairly certain a class may come through before she finished.

She led Harbor Side through the maze of stall blocks to the large jumping arena. She was pleased to see that a jumper course had already been set. All she had to do was raise the jumps which she did so before mounting him.

She could feel, from the moment she sent him forwards at a trot, letting him stretch his neck down, that he was incredibly fresh. With this in mind, she let him trot around on a long rein for quite a while before collecting him and urging him up to a canter. He sprang forwards eagerly, bucking a little as he did so. Despite the tempting urge to stand up in her stirrups and encourage him to gallop, Bailey sat down hard, sinking into the rhythm of his movements.

She was careful not to let him have at it for to long, she didn't want him to tire and hurt himself while jumping, but she made sure that he had gotten rid of the excess energy he had built up while not being exercised. She knew from having experienced it that jumping him when he was fresh was a fools mission.

She let him have his head as she picked out her course. A few circles over the low vertical she had left up would do to warm him up. The course she chose ended up having ten fences total with a good mix in their variety.

Harbor Side had cost her a small fortune and it showed as they cleared the warm up fence with ease each time. She gave him a pat and let him catch his breath before turning to tackle the course. The first fence was smaller than the rest, a simple vertical that stood at four feet, nine inches. The rest were five feet; the height at which they showed.

She held him steady to the base of the first, counting out his strides in her mind.

Just like that, they were flying. This was her favorite part: the adrenaline that accompanied it was exhilarating, and it only got better with each jump. She repeated the course twice more before she was satisfied and began to cool him out. His black coat that had gleamed like a Rolls Royce at the beginning of their eyes was now dripping with sweat. Despite that, however, his ears were pricked and his eyes gleamed.

She spent a good twenty minutes cooling him out before dismounting and leading him to the wash stall. She un-tacked him and carried it all into the tack room where she stowed it away safely, save the saddle pad which she threw in the hamper to be washed. She grabbed her grooming kit and Anka and headed back out to the wash stall. There, after tying her dog up once more, she hosed him down, picked out his hooves, and sponged liniment onto his legs. The green liquid tingled pleasantly when it came in contact with her skin. Before she put him away, she threw on a mesh cooler so he would dry faster. As she gave him a few treats, she pinned a note to his stall door, instructing the grooms to remove it in two hours. She gave him an affectionate pat and began to make her way back to the school dorms.

As she walked, she contemplated on whether or not to grab a bite to eat before finishing her to-do list. On one hand, she was ravenous, on the other, Anka was not aloud in the cafeteria and she would have to put her away first, meaning she wouldn't have a good excuse to bring both her dog, and her dirty runners into FG's office.

As she weighed her options, she checked her phone; 11:37. If she was quick, she could grab her schedule, piss off FG just for kicks, then join her brother for lunch. That sounded like a good plan to her so she settled with it.

Not five minutes later she barged through the front doors of the school and into the office. The receptionist attempted to top her, insisting that Fairy Godmother was busy, but Bailey merely threw a twenty dollar bill at her. In her humble opinion, the best part of being royalty, aside from the epic parties, was that she could simply pay most of her problems away. Not bothering to know, she flung open the door to the principles office and flounced inside.

"I need my class schedule," she announced.

Fairy Godmother took one look at her, and Bailey swore she may have been about to faint in horror.

"Your Grace, I'm afraid that barging in without so much as a knock is considered rude here in Auradon."

"I'm fully aware of that, FG" Bailey smirked as the short woman scowled at the nickname. "But I'm in a bit of a rush here, I get cranky when I haven't eaten you know? Besides," she blinked innocently, "I have to get my stuff ready for Monday, wouldn't want to miss it now, would I?" She let her words hang in the air, basking in their subtle threat.

With a miffed expression, Fairy Godmother relented and pulled out a paper from her drawer.

"Because it's your first week here, you'll be allowed an extra three minutes between classes to find your way around. The room numbers are here," she indicated a column on the paper, "and the blacks rotate everyday."

Bailey fixed her face into one of exaggerated happiness. "Thank you," she smiled, gritting her teeth. Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and strutted out of the room, not bothering to close the door behind her. Adrian had showed her that one. He said it was 'the most annoying power move after an argument, cause you force them to e up and close it themselves.' And Bailey couldn't help but agree.

She rushed Anka up to the dorm, made sure she had food and water, checked her makeup and hair, then headed down to the cafeteria.

Luckily for her, she got their just seconds after the bell rang, meaning that she got first pick of her lunch. Immediately, her eyes zeroed in on the burger and fries combo. She grabbed that, placing it on her tray along with a large bottle of water, none of the drinks seemed to be calling to her. Narrowly avoiding getting trampled by a swarm of hungry students, she stepped out of the line only to pause awkwardly.

"Shit," she mumbled. She had no clue where her brother sat.

The gods must have taken pity on her, for she spotted him as he grabbed his food. She sidled up beside him.

"Hey, Ben," she greeted.

"Hey, Bailey, how are you?"

"Not too bad, I suppose," she said as she sat down next to her brother. "Nearly had a heart attack though when I woke up at 8:00 on a Friday instead of 3:00," she chuckled.

"3:00 am?" Ben chocked on his sandwich.

"I mean, it's kinda what you'd expect in a military centric school." She shrugged.

"What's expected at a military centric school." It was Lonnie who had asked the question, making her way to the other side of the table. Jay and Carlos were right behind her.

"Early mornings," replied Bailey, taking another bite of her burger.

"Well we get those here too," said Jay as he plonked his tray down on the table.

"Yeah," agreed Carlos. "I mean, Tourney practice starts at 6:00 on Tuesday."

Bailey just smiled politely as she munched on a fry. Their group was growing, and, as more students settled down with their friends, the chatter in the cafeteria grew steadily louder. It was strange for Bailey to hear such lighthearted chatter. Up north, most lunches were spent pouring over maps; be it to point out defensive weaknesses, locate offensive strong-points, and devising new plans of defense and attack. It was what she liked in particular about 'The School': it appealed to many different personalities. Those who were bigger and stronger like Edem and Elwin explored the courses oriented to fighting on the front lines. Adrian, who was not fond of head on conflict, was exploring the technological aspects of fighting. He also had the most first aid knowledge in their group. Being smaller and, in terms of physical strength relative to mass, weaker than the others vying to dive head first into battle, Arild had taken an interest in espionage and strategy. As for Bailey, who was a bookworm like her mother, she couldn't help but be drawn to the path of assassination that she had read about many times over.

It was why the idea of a military centric school worked in a place like Auradon. The student body was a tightly knit community bound together by a shared interest. They all knew they were part of a team and worked together to maintain the peace within.

She returned to the present as someone plunked a tray down and sat so close they were practically on top of her. It was Gil.

She quite liked Gil. Despite who his father may have been, and perhaps because of, Gil was a sweet idiot. He seemed to have no tact and, while she supposed the former could be annoying after a while, he was always smiling.

"Hello, Gil," she smiled, sliding closer to her brother to allow her a bit of space from the boy.

"Oh," he seemed a little surprised at her presence. "Hey, Bailey. How are you? I didn't see you in any of my classes today, and Harry said he hadn't seen you in any of his. I haven't asked Uma yet, I mean, I couldn't find her so I can't really ask her anything."

His incesent train of thought made her smile. There was no particular reason to it, it just did. She supposed she found it amusing.

"He does have a point, Love." An airy, Scottish accent rang behind her; the owner of said voice moving until he was on the other side of the table, directly adjacent to her. "I didn't know The Queen was above going to class."

"Hi, Harry."

"Does the old bat know you skipped, hmm?"

Bailey out a hand over her heart, letting out a breathy chuckle. "No hello, and here I thought they would teach you manners," she teased him.

"Never."

As the two pirates and Bailey bickered away, soon joined by Lonnie, Jay and Carlos, Ben smiled to himself. He had been worried that she would struggle here, she was after all, terrible at making friends. Not for any lack of trying though, you see, through no fault of her own, Bailey was gifted with some sort of power that enabled her to make anything incredibly awkward. He was pleased to see that she had already met a few friends, in his opinion, as quirky as her.

He also knew that she must have been feeling a great amount of relief. After venting her initial anger to quote 'drag my ass down to hell', she had confessed that she was quite nervous about it as well. And he didn't blame her. After their father sent her up north, she had only been back to the capital city three times. The other years, they visited her. His train of thought was interrupted when Bailey poked him harshly in the side. He yelped, flinching away from her and into Mal.

"What?" He cried, perhaps a little loudly as the volume in the cafeteria dropped and he earned himself several stares.

"I said," huffed Bailey, "what cars do you have, or do I have to get someone to drive one down from home?"

"Why do you need one?" Ben snapped back. "You're not even allowed to drive on your own yet."

"Yes I am! You learn how to in grade nine, what with being so isolated from any other communities."

"Just because you know how, doesn't mean you're allowed to.'

"I'm Queen Regnant, I can make my own rules." Insisted Bailey.

"No, you can't." Ben retorted.

Their table, along with most tables near them had gone quiet, the rest of the cafeteria chattered on merrily.

"Yes, I can. And I'm going to do it anyways, you know there's no point in stopping me, so, I repeat, do you have a car I can use, or do I have to call mother?"

Ben groaned.

"I'm not giving you one of mine, Arild told me you drive like an idiot. Call mom."

It was Baileys turn to groan.

"Fine."


	11. CHAPTER10

I do sincerely apologise for my lack of updates, I had been studying for my exams (of which I had five). Fortunately, they are over and I shall return to updating every 3-5 days. Thank you for your patience.

Uma awoke early the next morning. After escaping the Isle of the Lost, despite being on the run from the Auradon Navy, she had made it a habit to watch the sunrise and sunset as often as she could. She had never seen something like that on the Isle, something so beautiful that stemmed from something so destructive, it fascinated her; not for any reason in particular, she just liked it.

As usual, Harry and Gil were snoring their heads off as they slept, though Harry, ever a light sleeper, blinked wearily at Uma as she returned to the room, only to drop his head back down and pass out once more.

Despite knowing that Harry was not truly happy in Auradon, Uma was thankful for the small effect it had on him. Though it may not have mellowed his temper in the slightest, a thing for which Uma did not care, be whoever the fuck you would like was how she thought, but it did help him sleep better. Back on the Isle, Harry would stay up for days on end, working tirelessly to keep himself awake. They had no idea the cause, but Harry hated sleeping thanks to the night terrors he would get. It took him ages to train himself to sleep lightly enough to avoid them but even so, he had not been fond of surrendering to his unconscious.

What surprised Uma, however, was Bailey's absence; she had only been away from the room for fifteen minutes at most, yet there was but one sign the queen had been there: a post it note with a single word. At least, Uma was under the impression it was a single word. The handwriting appeared to be a mix of cursive and chicken-scratch. She puzzled over it for a good two minutes before giving up. She settled on it saying 'out'.

She threw the note in the garbage and flopped onto her bed; pondering her initial plan to manipulate her new roommate to give her more influence should the need arise. She had thought that Bailey, being the daughter of the former king, would have been raised to be polite and somewhat meek; it appeared, however, that Bailey was a headstrong, fighter, not as she assumed. As they had conversed over lunch the previous day, Uma had come to recognize that she was also incredibly morally driven. A trait of someone not easily swayed on their opinion regardless of whether or not the manipulator bribed them or exhorted them.

Additionally, Uma was unsure if she wanted to trick her. After observing her, she noted that Bailey had some kind of natural charm. Yes, she would playfully mock her brother, but she was always smiling, no matter what; even when she explicitly announced that she felt incredibly awkward, she laughed right through it. Uma found she was very genuine. Perhaps, if she were to use Bailey for influence, manipulation was not the right move, perhaps persuasion would be better.

The thought in mind, she stirred herself and roused Harry, narrowly missing him as he shot straight up.

"What?" he yawned. She ducked away, scrunching her nose as his morning breath fluttered across her face.

"Change of plan," Harry gazed at her in a questioning manner. "We're not going to, erm, manipulate her, per say. I think we'll have better luck with someone like her if we befriend her."

"Good," Harry grunted, stretching his arms as he tilted his head to one side, then the other, feeling the bones click and pop as they realigned. "I kinda like her, she's good with a sword."

"Why, thank you very much." The door clicked and swung open, letting Bailey and Anka step into the room. On her arms were several large bags; thanks to the logos and designs each sported, the two pirates deduced the pair had been out shopping. More so Bailey as opposed to Anka.

"Really? You woke up early to go shopping? I thought you would have enough fancy clothes, being the Queen."

Bailey flushed somewhat under Uma's judgemental gaze, yet she smiled nonetheless.

"I do," she admitted, "back home. But most of them aren't suited to this weather; after all, up north, on the wall, winter gets down to like, minus forty (Celecius), and it snows about even months of the year anyways. And on the off chance we get two, maybe three, weeks of summer, it only gets to about ten degrees. So, y'know, I kinda need new ones."

All the while, the brunette was opening drawers and putting clothes away. Uma also noticed she had bought a few more books. Indeed, Bailey truly was her mothers daughter; whenever her family would visit, the two would spend at least an hour a day talking about books, reading together, and exchanging their favourites.

Uma would admit, however, Bailey did confuse her. Not having been their when Bailey had introduced Harry to her friends, nor arriving at lunch in time to hear her mention the school she had attended was military centric, the pirate did not understand how Bailey knew how to fight. After all, Ben could fight somewhat, but not nearly as well as she had observed his sister doing so. She dismissed Baileys explanation with a casual 'cool' before voicing her query.

"By the way, I was wondering where you learnt to fight, I mean, neither of your parents are renowned for their skills in combat."

"It's a bit of a long story," Bailey admitted, closing a final drawer and sitting down on her bed, the matress bouncing slightly as she half jumped onto it. "But to simplify it, I attend a school that all of the kids of the guards stationed on Auradons northern border attend. Most of the soldiers would prefer to stay with their families and before the closest town was twelve hours away so they made one closer for the soldiers families; a few other people live their too, but not many."

"Huh." Said Uma as she processed he information. The idea was not half bad. "And I guess they teach you how to fight their?"

"Yeah. There's not really a principle, but Princess Merida is in charge of the forces where to town is so she is in charge of all us kids who wanna join. She starts us early." Bailey Grinned at the final statement.

"Sounds a fuck ton better then Bore-adon Prep," grumbled Harry.

"It is," Bailey said, "you should join next year, there's plenty of space. After all, we've got like, what," she thought for a few moments. "maybe thirty kids in our grade? It's not too bad though; all us boarding students get a huge ass manor to ourselves, as you saw. And there's one for each grade when you hit high school."

"Perhaps I will," Harry hummed.

Seemingly satisfied with his response, Bailey flopped over and grabbed a thick, brown book from her night stand; The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes And Other Stories. The three sat in quietly for a while, Harry and Uma trading whispers while bailey read. Eventually, Gil roused himself and plodded sleeply into the bathroom to take a shower. It wasn't long before a polite knock at the door disturbed the peacefulness.

Ben opened the door, poking his head into the room. Upon sighting Bailey, the supposed target of his search, he entered, chewing at his lip and fidgeting with his fingers, it didn't take a detective to deduce that he was nervous.

Bailey seemed to sense the same thing.

"What?" She did not lower her book as she snapped at her brother.

"Can't a brother visit his sister?" Tried the king, he picked his way over to her bed and sat down near her head.

"Not acting like that, you can't," she lowered the book a smidge, eyes darting over for but half a second, her tone laced with light amusement. "Who died now?"

"Um, look, this isn't my decision, you know that, but mom and dad may or may not have invited us to dinner at the castle tonight; they want to say hi." Bens eyes flitted to the door, perhaps he was planning to make a run for it.

Bailey slammed her book into her face, the sound was clearly audible; enough so that Uma was surprised she hadn't broken her nose. From beneath the pages came a muffled groaning, then, the book moved enough to reveal one eye the colour of brandy.

"What time do we have to go?"

Ben let out a breath a relief. "6:45, don't worry, it's just us."

"Thank God."

Ben got up, turning to leave when he stopped in his tracks.

"One more thing," he remarked. "I need you to tutor Mal in all that extra princess-y stuff; y'know the stuff mom made you do?"

Bailey raised a single eyebrow. "I thought you loved her."

"I do?" Bens reply was more of a question than a statement.

"And you're submitting her to that torture, why?"

"Just do it, please?"

"Fine. Now leave before you tell me FG wants me to host a couples dance."

A hearty laugh left Ben as he exited the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Parent issues?" Asked Gil, who had exited the washroom by then, his face sympathetic. It made sense that Gil would understand. He and his father had a difficult relationship. Gil, while he had no problem fighting people, hated hunting animals. The first time his father had taken him, the boy had saved the doe instead of letting his father shoot it with a sawed off shotgun. In a rage, Gaston had struck him, sending them both down a discorded path. The last time Gil and Gaston had seen each other, Gaston had been in a wrath at the boy; claiming he brought dishonour on their family name, that he was ashamed to 'have a son who doesn't like girls'.

Bailey, who had gone back to reading her book look up and shook her head.

"No, not really anymore. It's just, it's really awkward with my dad. My mom and I, we connect right? We both love books and all that crap. But my dad, he tries, he really does, but he just..., he just..." she struggled for an explanation.

"Can't get it?" Uma offered.

"Pretty much."

It was almost comforting, in a way, to have Bailey living with them, Uma reflected as Bailey returned to her book. Yes, she had begun to accept and see those descended from royalty as equals; but it was so very comforting, in a way she didn't quite understand, to see one having issues she could relate with. She had been too quick to judge, she supposed; to impatient, and to resentful to label the girl as someone she was not. She had assumed that she would be a naïve, sheltered, pampered, girl, oblivious to the harshness of reality and to worried about her hair to care for others. In reality, she was a stubborn, smart, and kind woman, all her traits amplifying what a beautiful person she was.

Her cheeks tinged somewhat pink, Uma quickly glanced away. It would be too much to hope that Bailey was attracted to women; and besides, while Uma much admired her, her observations did not lead to the same kind of attraction she felt for the other girl who, and of course we shall all recognize the following dismissive assumption, was probably not a lesbian either.

She wondered what her First Mate thought of her, though. Harry, who was a raging pansexual mind you, loved a good challenge. Bailey, it seemed, could provide one. And, the herald had announced upon her arrival a military rank within her title. Uma chuffed, she could practically see it; Bailey and Harry, Queen Regnant and king Consort of Auradon, kick-ass army generals, and wreckers of mischief amongst council. Oh yes, she shipped it; she shipped it hard.


	12. CHAPTER11

They met in the school foyer at precisely six-o'clock, each cleaned up and polished, though not overdressed. All dinners at the castle were formal matters, even those that comprised solely of the royal family. For that, the King and Queen of Auradon envied many of their lower-born peers; they longed to attend a family dinner in their nightwear, some of which could probably pass as very casual designer clothes. Indeed, Ben and Bailey had grown up surrounded by rules; no running during meal times, no cursing, no sneaking candy, asleep by ten o'clock, awake by eight, and on and on it went. So long was the list that ruled the lives of the children, during their early childhood, that they could probably fill a volume with half the rules in bullet point format.

Fortunately for Bailey, with no one caring to enforce the rules, the silly ones especially (Merida had in fact encouraged her to rebel against those in particular), vanished from her life. She did however, strongly agree to being punctual; it made life easier for everyone.

Conversing amongst themselves, the siblings made their way to the limousine intent on escorting them to their parents castle. Yes, they may have retired, but neither Ben nor Bailey had officially claimed the castle as theirs. In fact, Bailey had not been there in at least five years. Ben would most likely be the one to claim the grande estate; Bailey, ever concerned about the safety of Auradon, was already making plans for a castle closer to the Great Wall, though not as isolated as the outpost she was currently stationed at. Anka was not with them. Bailey had elected to leave her with Gil and Carlos, the latter of which was supervising the former.

"I am anxious to see the library again, how much has mother added to her book collection since I last saw her?"

The shift in Baileys vocabulary did not go undetected by her older brother. It was something that amused him, Bailey having no in-between; either she cursed like a sailor, or used such eloquent language that Ben had once brought a dictionary with him when they had visited her. He hadn't intended to actually use it, seeing as Bailey was usually more casual in the presence of her friends, but Bailey had taken the joke a step further, going out of her way to use increasingly cryptic words. The joke had ended when Ben, out of frustration had lobbed the book at her. Last he heard, she had kept it.

"Well, at least ten of the couches were moved for more shelves last time I was actually in the library, I suppose retirement has given her lots of free time," he mused. "What series will 'The Book Club' discuss tonight?"

Attributing to their shared love of literature, Belle and Bailey would often spend a good hour of any evening they could discussing a book they had agreed upon reading. Ben and his father had affectionately dubbed their discussions 'The Book Club'. The two women had taken the joke with a stride; adding a corner in the libraries of each of their homes stock full of all the books they would and had shared.

"Game of Thrones."

Ben flushed.

"Isn't that um... a bit," he hesitated, "mature?"

Bailey regarded him with a dry, if not faintly amused, expression.

"Simply discussing sex has no effect on me." A giggle left her throat as Ben turned a slightly darker shade of pink. "Come on Ben, most people have intercourse, it's not like you haven't."

Ben flushed even darker. It was moments like these that he envied Baileys ability to be straightforward and un-flustered.

Baileys head tilted at her siblings reaction, processing it.

"I see."

Bailey, understanding the difficulty of the subject for her brother, dropped it. She may not have been very good at reading people, but she wasn't blind; no doubt if she were to continue, Ben would mount her head on a wall. Instead, she inquired as to how the rest of the Isle-born children were adjusting.

The conversation lasted until they reached their home. Rolling, perfectly trimmed lawns crowned with many a flower bush, mostly roses, lined the road to the castle entrance. An intricate fountain served as a centrepiece to the roundabout.

The castle itself was no small feat. Constructed in the mid-seventeenth century by their thirteenth-great-grandfather, the castle was a masterpiece. Though the inside had been refurnished as renovated many times, the outside had maintained the same, elegantly Gothic style it had borne since it first rose. Ornate walls, decorated with arches and windows, supported the soaring roof. Towers loomed high above their heads, the interlocking bridges held up by arches and columns. Partially concealed by the parapets were lines of guards, standing at the ready for absolutely nothing. On the hundreds of thousands of ledges incorporated into the design, gargoyles perched; their wings flared and their faces snarling. Bailey fondly reminisced the times she would scramble to join them on their perches; talking to them as if they could hear her. Part of her still wished they were.

Standing at the foot of the steps that led to the castle doors were their parents; none other than the King Father Adam and the Queen Mother Belle.

The moment she had exited the car, her mother had just about swept her off her feet in a loving embrace.

"Oh, my baby girl, home at last." Bailey pet her mother back awkwardly as the two men greeted each other.

"Hello to you too, mother." In the traditional French manner, the mother and daughter exchanged a light peck on each cheek.

"Oh, look at you," said Belle, stepping back to admire her daughter. "You've grown so much. I suppose I can't call you my baby girl now; you're taller than me now; oh and so beautiful."

Bailey stiffened for but a millisecond, then chuckled.

"I'll always be your baby girl, mum."

She turned to her father. The two stared at each other for a moment; their postures stiff. Then, King Adam relaxed, smiled, and held his arms open as Ben went to greet his mother.

It had been a long time since she had hugged her father; the last time they had seen each other was tainted with quarrels. Yet each had let it go, happy to be reunited.

"Look at you, kiddo," her father chuckled fondly. "Your mothers right, you've shot up like a plant."

Laughing amongst themselves, the little family made their way inside. They settled in the living room, catching up on lost times as they awaited dinner.

Curled up on a plush chair, Bailey vividly recalled the story of her and her friends getting stuck in a blizzard.

"You should've seen Elwin though," she laughed, wiping away a stray tear. "He was just standing in the middle of the damn thing cursing it out as he tried to control it; mind you, he wears summer clothes all year round, cause y'know, he doesn't get cold. And then he comes back in, and pretty much had to stick his hair in the fire, it was frozen solid with like, a good half-foot of snow on top."

It was a shame to stop the stories when the food was ready, but it would be worth it. Once they were seated, the food was brought out; a creamy mushroom stew, greens with cherry tomatoes, roast beef sliced as thin as paper, duck breast in an orange sauce. Bailey almost moans aloud as she tries the last. Duck was always her favourite. Still, she stifles her delight and makes her way through the meal.

"How is it to be back home?" Asked Belle as the main course was cleared.

Bailey paused, midway through a sip of wine. To be honest, she did not consider the castle to be her home. After all, she had spent over two thirds of her life away from it, and had grown comfortable with the idea that she belonged up north. Still, that was not something she could ever tell her mother. Bailey didn't think she could stomach her mother heartbreak if she were to learn of it. Instead, she smiled and laughed as though she could not imagine a better thing.

"Awesome. No stress, no responsibilities, my family." She was lying through her teeth, a skill she had honed in I her espionage class. She was incredibly stressed, she had to train her brother fiancée to be a queen, and her family was not all there, she still missed her friends.

As the cheeses and desert were brought forth, the conversation boiled down to politics. It always did. She was halfway through a mouthful of chocolate soufflé when her father dressed her.

"So, I did hear from General Austin that you were concerned about a threat of war on Auradon?"

Ben perked up, his brow furrowing, and shot her a perturbed and confused glance.

She nodded, setting her spoon down and swallowing he bite.

"Something like that."

"I don't see what we have to fear," said Ben. "Auradons at peace, there have been no sightings of anything abnormal north of the Great Wall, and we're at peace with the Isle. Besides, the only person from there that's shown any interest in Auradon as of late has been Hades, and he only wants to be closer to Mal."

"Charming," muttered Bailey, her voice dry. "I have no concern regarding the Isle, I trust you with that, I think, and I am perfectly aware that our northern boarder is fine. My concern lays with Rugatoer."

Her family exchanged troubled glances.

"Rugatoer?" Her mothers voice was unsteady.

Rugatoer was a large and wealthy country that lay north-west of Auradon. It was similar in size to Auradon and was also comprised of several kingdoms; but the differences stopped there. Unlike Auradon, that had all its co-Kings and co-Queens united under one King and Queen, Rugatoer had only one ruling monarch. The other kingdoms had no say in who ruled them. In Auradon, the next King was decided by succession. If the people were unhappy with the ruler, however, they could vote him or her of the throne.

"Yes."

"What about it?" Ben was looking at her frantically.

"King Vokshin died a week ago," she paused and looked at the other suspiciously. "You didn't get the letter?"

They shook their heads.

Bailey grimaced before continuing. "Well, he did, and his son, Kohic, is crowned King tonight."

"What does this have to do with war on Auradon?" Demanded her father. "Though his death is tragic, King Vokshin was old, he died of natural causes most likely. Why would they declare war on us for his death?"

"They wouldn't, at least, not for Vokshins death." Bailey sighed. "Kohic, is a good candidate for a King. He's intelligent, handsome, and strong, but, he's also very very ambitious. You should know that Auradon does have spies stationed there, feeding us insiders intel, and they've reported that Kohic seemed a little too happy with his fathers death."

"So you think he killed him." Said Ben.

"No, he did die of natural causes, but Kohic has recently been reported to be a tad... power-hungry, as of late. And he has already made known his disapproval of the way Auradon does things known to the public. I'm just saying that it's a viable threat."

The rest of the dinner was quiet, no one, aside from Bailey, was really comfortable with discussing the possibility of war. At ten, the two siblings bid their parents farewell and began their journey home. Bailey tried to talk to Ben about the urgency of at least being on guard but he said they'd deal with it in the morning.

"Even if he does declare war on us, I doubt he'd do it tonight, on his coronation." He had said. "We'll be fine."

At this Bailey was understandably frustrated. She had stormed into her dorm, startling the her roommates who had brought in some of their former crew to play what looked too Bailey, like poker.

"Rough night, Darlin?" It was Harry who spoke, not looking away from the game.

"Not all of it... but yeah." She grabbed her laptop and shipped it open, intent on updating Merida of the situation. She also sent an email to Edem, Adrian, Elwin, and Arild, asking them how they were and informing them of her families apparent denial of a possible threat.

Finished with the important stuff, she looked up from the illuminated screen. It didn't look like the pirates were finishing soon so god knows she wouldn't be able to turn off the lights. Groaning quietly, she grabbed some pyjamas and trudged into the bathroom to take a shower. As she undressed, her mind wandered too that both her parents had said at the beginning of the evening. She glanced in the mirror.

They were right, she had grown.

She hadn't really taken time to give herself a good once-over science grade eight; that was when she had had a massive crush on Marilyn, Hercules and Megeras daughter. She turned to the side, taking a quick moment to exam her body's profile, namely her bust and stomach, before her attention was drawn to the tattoo that peaked out from beneath her right arm. It was tiny hexagon, its outline and six triangular segments on the inside were inked in black. Of those six triangles, the top and bottom one were left blank, showing her skin; the four on the sides were inked in a dark grey. The design almost looked like a butterfly in a hexagon. She glared at it, as much as she hated it, she could not quite bring herself to cut it out.

She shook her head. It would do her no good to dwell on the past. She moved on with her shower. Making sure to wash her hair; she hadn't washed it in three days and lord knows it needed it. After rinsing it out, she turned the water off and stepped out. Drying herself off, she wrapped up her hair with her towel and put on her pyjamas.

Returning to her bed, she picked up her laptop again. She settled down, Anka leaving Gils side to join her, and browsed her Tumblr for a short while. After about fifteen minutes, she opened a saved pages document, frowning at the unfinished sentence that glared back at her.

You see, not only did Bailey enjoy reading books, she also enjoyed writing them. This current story, that would probably end up in her massive pile of works in progress, was giving her a massive headache. She groaned and slammed it shut. Writers block could go fuck itself.

She unwrapped her hair from the towel, which she threw haphazardly into the bathroom, and laid down.

"Hey,' she snapped, "troglodytes." The pirates looked up. "Wake me up and I'll sick my dog on you." They seemed unfazed by her threat, thankfully, they didn't push it.

Bailey rolled over and shut her eyes, tomorrow would be a very long day.

The plot thickens... *insert evil laughter* I apologize again, for the delay. I do hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If so, please leave a comment and vote! It helps raise the publicity of this story. Feedback, critique, general comments, compliments, and mistakes all help me so much!

Thank you!

Q-C


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